A DEVICE FOR MOUNTING SANITARY EQUIPMENT TO A WALL AND A SANITARY INSTALLATION COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE

This invention relates to a device for attaching sanitary equipment to a wall and to a sanitary installation comprising such a device. Such devices can be used to attach sanitary equipment to a wall, in particular, after the wall has already been completed.

Sanitary equipment can be designed, for instance, in the manner of a sanitary faucet or a discharge and/or be used to provide a liquid as needed at a sink, wash basin, shower and/or bathtub. For this purpose, the sanitary equipment is attached to walls of sanitary rooms, for instance, and connected to liquid lines. As a rule, the walls of sanitary rooms are tiled, such that the tiles can be damaged during a retrofit of the sanitary equipment, for instance as part of a renovation, and/or extensive chiseling work is required to install the liquid lines.

The invention therefore addresses the problem of solving at least part of the issues described with reference to the prior art and, in particular, of providing a device which can be used to retrofit sanitary equipment to a wall with little effort. In addition, a sanitary installation is to be disclosed, the device of which can be used to retrofit sanitary equipment to a wall with little effort.

These problems are solved by a device and a sanitary installation having the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It will be appreciated that the features listed individually in the dependent claims may be combined in any technologically useful manner and define further embodiments of the invention. In addition, the features indicated in the claims are further specified and explained in the description, wherein further preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

A device for mounting sanitary equipment to a wall, having at least the features listed below, contributes to solving the problem:

- a mounting body having a mount for the sanitary equipment and at least one port for a liquid line; and
- a mounting device for mounting the mounting body to the wall.

The sanitary equipment to be attached may be, for instance, a sanitary faucet, a discharge for a liquid, or a control element for the liquid. Such sanitary equipment is used for instance to provide liquid, in particular water, at a sink, washbasin, shower and/or bathtub. The sanitary faucet may have a faucet housing that is preferably at least partially made of (cast) metal, such as brass, and/or plastic. The discharge can be at least partially tubular and/or have a discharge opening for the liquid. Furthermore, the discharge may be secured rigidly or movably, in particular in a swiveling and/or at least partially extendable manner, to the faucet body of the sanitary faucet. The discharge can thus be part of the sanitary faucet and/or of the faucet body. The control element may comprise, for instance, a valve or a mixing valve. The valve may, for instance, be of the type of a shut-off valve type and/or be used to control a discharge of the liquid. In particular, the mixing valve can be used to mix cold water and hot water to form a mixed water having a desired mixed-water temperature, wherein the mixing valve can be a mixing cartridge, for instance. To set the desired mixed-water temperature and/or a desired discharge quantity of the liquid or mixed water, the valve or mixing valve can be operated, for instance, by an actuating element, for instance in the manner of an adjusting lever or rotary knob. To set the desired mixed-water temperature, a mixing ratio between the cold water, which has a cold-water temperature, and a hot water, which has a hot-water temperature, can be set in particular by means of the actuating element, such that the mixing valve mixes the mixed water having the desired mixed-water temperature. The cold-water temperature is in particular at most 25° C. (Celsius), preferably 1° C. to particularly preferably 5° C. to 20° C. and/or the hot-water temperature is in particular at most 90° C., preferably 25° C. to 90° C., particularly preferably 55° C. to 65° C.

The wall can be a wall of a building, for instance. Furthermore, the wall can be a so-called front-wall, which can be disposed (permanently) in particular in front of a wall of the building. In particular, this can mean that the front-wall at least partially covers the building wall and/or is disposed at a distance from the building wall or is permanently installed. The distance between the front-wall and wall of a building can be, for instance, 1 cm to 30 cm [centimeters], preferably 5 cm to 25 cm. Furthermore, a cavity can be formed between the front-wall and the building wall. The wall can be, for instance, a drywall, a wooden wall and/or a gypsum wall. Furthermore, the wall for instance may have a thickness of 1 cm to 5 cm. In addition, the wall can have an opening in which the device can be disposed, in particular partially, and/or in which the device can be mounted. For this purpose, the opening can in particular have an inner diameter that (largely) equals an outer diameter of the mounting body.

The device has (at least) one mounting body having a mount for the sanitary equipment. The mounting body can be partially or completely made of plastic and/or metal. In particular, the mounting body may be a plastic injection-molded part. Furthermore, the mounting body can in particular be at least partially cylindrical/or at least partially tubular in shape. In this context, the mounting body can have a length (in particular in a longitudinal direction) of, for instance, 3 cm to 15 cm and/or (in particular orthogonally to the longitudinal direction) a width of 3 cm to 10 cm. In particular, the mount may be formed at a longitudinal end and/or an end face of the mounting body. Furthermore, the mount for instance can be designed in the manner of a recess. For instance, the recess can be cylindrical or polygonal. Furthermore, the mount may have, for instance, a round, oval, square, rectangular or polygonal cross-section, in particular orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the mounting body. For instance, the mount can have a depth of 1 cm to 10 cm, preferably 3 cm to 7 cm, starting in particular from the longitudinal end or the end face of the mounting body. In particular, the depth of the mount may extend down to a bottom of the mount. In addition, the mount may have a diameter of, for instance, 1 cm to 9 cm, in particular orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the mounting body. In particular, the sanitary equipment can be at least partially inserted into the mount, screwed into the mount and/or fastened in the mount. In particular, the sanitary equipment can be disposed and/or fastened in the mount, especially (substantially) without play. The mounting body can be designed to be made of several parts. The individual parts of the mounting body can be interconnected, for instance, using a bolted connection and/or snap connection.

Furthermore, the mounting body has at least one port for a liquid line. The liquid line can be, for instance, a (flexible) hose line or pipeline. The liquid can be supplied to the device and/or discharged from the device via the liquid line. In particular, the liquid line can be attached to the at least one port, for instance by means of a plug connection and/or screw connection. In particular, a connection duct can lead from the at least one port to the mount. In particular, the connection duct can open into the mount and/or extend through the bottom of the mount. The connection duct can extend, in particular in the area of the bottom of the mount, at least partially in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mounting body. When the sanitary equipment is in the mount, the liquid may be guidable from the at least one port via the connection duct to the sanitary equipment and/or guidable from the sanitary equipment via the port channel to the at least one port. Furthermore, the sanitary equipment may be at least partially insertable into the connection duct and/or the sanitary equipment may be coupleable to the connection duct and/or the at least one port by the arrangement in the mount. In particular, the mounting body may have one (single) port, two ports, or three ports. For instance, the mounting body may have a port for cold water, a port for hot water, and/or a port for mixed water.

Furthermore, the device has (at least) one mounting device for mounting the mounting body to the wall. In particular, the mounting body and mounting device are provided in pairs or form a matching set. The mounting device can be used in particular to clamp the mounting body to the wall. In particular, the device can be mounted at a place of the wall, where possibly the sanitary equipment will be mounted at a later stage. For this purpose, the sanitary equipment only has to be inserted into the mount or disposed in the mount. The required liquid lines can be connected to the device in advance, for instance during construction of the wall and/or assembly of the device. In particular, the device is designed in the manner of a rapid mounting system for the sanitary equipment. In that way, the device can be used to retrofit the sanitary equipment to the wall using little effort.

The at least one port can be designed to be self-closing. In particular, this can mean that a valve body is disposed in or on the at least one port or the connection duct of the at least one port, which closes the at least one port or the connection channel of the at least one port (in particular automatically) when there is no sanitary equipment in the mount. For this purpose, the valve body can be pressed against a valve seat by means of a spring, for instance. In that way, the valve body can prevent any unintentional leakage of the liquid, for instance during assembly and/or disassembly of the device, avoiding damage by water. When the sanitary equipment is disposed in the mount, the valve body can be opened (especially automatically). For this purpose, the sanitary equipment can, for instance, have a connecting nipple that lifts the valve body off the valve seat.

The mounting device can have a snap element having at least one snap lug. In particular, the snap element can be annular and/or attached to the mounting body. In particular, the snap element can be screwed to the mounting body. Furthermore, the snap element can, for instance, be formed integrally with the mounting body or be part of the mounting body. In addition, the snap element may have a plurality of snap lugs, which may be distributed in a circumferential direction of the snap element, for instance. The snap lugs can extend in particular in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the mounting body. When the device is inserted into the opening in the wall, for instance, the snap lugs can be radially elastically inwards deformable so they snap radially outwards when they reach a rear side of the wall and thus prevent the device from being pulled out of the opening in the wall.

The mounting device may have a nut that can be screwed to the mounting body. In particular, the nut can be screwed to the mounting body such that the wall is clamped between the snap element and the nut.

An attachment element may be used to secure the sanitary equipment in the mount. In particular, the attachment element can be designed in the manner of an annular attachment or ring-shaped. In addition, the attachment element can in particular be screwed to the device or the mounting body of the device. By means of the attachment element, the sanitary equipment can be fastened in the mount, in particular in a form-fitting manner, and/or can be clamped in the mount, in particular.

The mount may be covered with a cover. The mount may be covered with the cover in particular when there is no sanitary equipment in the mount. Furthermore, the cover can be designed in the manner of a screen and/or a lid. In addition, the cover may be attachable to the device and/or the wall. Due to the cover, the device is in particular not visible in the opening of the wall. This can improve a visual appearance of the wall in the area of the device when there is no sanitary equipment in the mount. For this purpose, the cover can have in particular a decorative surface.

According to a further aspect, a sanitary installation comprising a wall having at least one opening, in which at least one device described herein is disposed, is also disclosed.

A mount for sanitary equipment of the device may be covered with a cover.

The sanitary installation may comprise at least the features listed below:

- a first opening formed in the wall with a first device, wherein at least one port of the first device is connected to a source of liquid via at least a first liquid line; and
- a second opening formed in the wall with a second device, wherein at least one further port of the second device having at least one second liquid line is connected to the first device.

The sanitary installation thus has two devices, to which, in particular, two different types of sanitary equipment can be attached. In particular, the first device has a port for cold water, which is connected to a cold-water source, for instance a public water-supply network and/or an angle valve, via a first liquid line, and another port for hot water, which is connected to a hot-water source, for instance a water heater, via a further first liquid line. The first liquid line may in particular be at least partially a (flexible) hose line and/or a (rigid) pipeline. In addition, the first device may have a further port as an outlet for a mixed water. The outlet for the mixed water may be formed via at least a second liquid line having a port for the mixed water of the second device. Thus, the mixed water can be conveyed in particular from the first device to the second device. The second liquid line may in particular be at least partially a (flexible) hose line and/or (rigid) pipeline. The first device and the second device can in particular be designed identically or differ in particular only by the number of their ports.

A control element for a liquid may be disposed in a first mount of the first device, and a discharge for the liquid may be disposed in a second mount of the second device. Thus, different types of sanitary equipment can be disposed in the first mount of the first device and the second mount of the second device.

For further details of the sanitary installation, reference is made in full to the description of the device.

The invention and the technical environment are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the figures show a particularly preferred embodiment variant of the invention, but the invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for identical components. In an exemplary and schematic manner,

FIG. 1 shows a sanitary installation having a first device and a second device;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the first device and of the second device; and

FIG. 3 shows a connection of the sanitary installation to liquid sources.

FIG. 1 shows a sanitary installation 23 having a first device 1 and a second device 26. The first device 1 is disposed in a first opening 24 of a wall 4, and the second device 26 is disposed in a second opening 25 of the wall 4. The wall 4 in this case is a front-wall covering a building wall not shown here. A cavity 30 shown in FIG. 2 is formed between the wall 4 and the building wall, into which the first device 1 and the second device 26 project. The first device 1 has a first mount 7 for a first type of sanitary equipment 2, which in this case is a control element 28 for a liquid by way of example. The control element 28 comprises a mixing cartridge 31 for mixing cold water and hot water to form a mixed water having a desired mixed-water temperature. For this purpose, the mixing cartridge 31 can be actuated by a user with the aid of an actuating element 32, which in this case is designed in the manner of an actuating handle. In particular, the actuating element 32 can be used to adjust the mixed-water temperature and a discharge quantity of the liquid. The mixing cartridge 31 comprises a first connection nipple 41 for the cold water and a second connection nipple 42 for the hot water. The second device 26 has a second mount 8 for a second type of sanitary equipment 3, which in this example is a discharge 29 for the liquid. The discharge 29 is tubular in shape and comprises a third connection nipple 33 through which liquid can enter the discharge 29. Further, the discharge 29 comprises a discharge opening 34, through which the liquid can be discharged through the discharge 29 into, for instance, a wash basin 35 attached to the wall 4. Prior to mounting the first type of sanitary equipment 2 in the first mount 7 of the first device 1 and the second type of sanitary equipment 3 in the second mount 8 of the second device 26, the first mount 7 and the second mount 8 may be covered by a cover not shown here to keep the first device 1 and the second device 26 out of sight of a user. If the first type of sanitary equipment 2 and the second type of sanitary equipment 3 are to be retrofitted to the wall 4, the cover is removed to be able to insert the sanitary equipment 2, 3 into the mounts 7, 8. The first type of sanitary equipment 2 can be attached in the first mount 7 by a first attachment element 21 and the second type of sanitary equipment 3 can be attached in the second mount 8 by a second attachment element 22. The first attachment element 21 is designed to be bolted to the first device 1 and the second attachment element 22 is designed to be bolted to the second device 26. Furthermore, in this case the first attachment element 21 and the second attachment element 22 are annular in shape.

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the first device 1 and the second device 26, wherein a longitudinal section of the second device 26 is shown. The first device 1 has a first mounting body 5 and the second device 26 has a second mounting body 6. The mounting bodies 5, 6 are tubular in the area of the mounts 7, 8. Furthermore, the first mounting body 5 has a first port 9 and a second port 10 marked in FIG. 3, and the second mounting body 6 has a third port 36 also marked in FIG. 3. In FIG. 2, it can be seen that the third port 36 opens into the second mount 8 via a connection duct 37. The same applies to the ports 9, 10 of the first device 1, which open into the first mount 7 in a similar manner via (separate) connection channels 37. A valve body 38 is disposed in each of the connection channels 37, which are pressed against a valve seat 40 by springs 39 when no sanitary equipment 2, 3 is disposed in the mounts 7, 8. The ports 9, 10, 36 or the connection channels 37 of the devices 1, 23 are therefore self-closing. When the sanitary equipment 2, 3 is inserted into the mounts 7, 8, the connection nipples 33, 41, 42 shown in FIG. 1 press against the respective valve bodies 38 to lift them off their valve seats 40 and the ports 9, 10, 36 or the connection channels 37 are opened. The liquid can therefore flow from the ports 9, 10, 36 through the connecting channels 37 into the sanitary equipment 2, 3. The first device 1 also has a first mounting device 13 and the second device 26 has a second mounting device 14. The mounting devices 13, 14 each comprise a snap element 15, 16. The snap elements 15, 16 are annular and screwed to a circumferential surface 43 of the mounting bodies 5, 6. Furthermore, the snap elements 15, 16 have a plurality of snap lugs 17, 18 distributed in a circumferential direction. To attach the devices 1, 26 to the wall 4, the devices 1, 26 are inserted through the openings 24, 25 of the wall 4 to elastically deform the snap lugs 17, 18 in a radially inward direction. As soon as the snap lugs 17, 18 reach a rear side 44 of the wall 4, they snap outward in the radial direction preventing the devices 1, 26 from being pulled out of the openings 24, 25. The first mounting device 13 also comprises a first nut 19 (cf. FIG. 1) and the second mounting device 14 comprises a second nut 20 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2), which can be screwed onto the respective mounting bodies 5, 6 until the wall 4 is clamped between the snap elements 15, 16 and nuts 19, 20. In this way, the devices 1, 26 are secured in the openings 24, 25 of the wall.

FIG. 3 shows the sanitary installation 23 having the first device 1 and the second device 26. The first port 9 of the first device 1 is connected to a first liquid line 11 having a first liquid source 27 for cold water, and the second port 10 of the first device 1 is connected to a further first liquid line 11 having a second liquid source 45 for hot water. The liquid sources 27, 45 here are angle valves attached to the wall 4. The liquid lines 11 extend from the liquid sources 27, 45 through a drilled hole 46 in the wall 4 and thence along behind the wall 4 to the first device 1. The drilled hole 46 is formed below the wash basin 35. The cold water and the hot water supplied through the first two liquid lines 11 can be mixed by the mixing cartridge 31 shown in FIG. 1 to form the mixed water, which can leave the first device 1 through a fourth port 47 of the first mounting body 5. Thus, the fourth port 47 is connected by a second liquid line 12 to the third port 36 of the second device 26 to supply the mixed water to the discharge 29 shown in FIG. 1. The second liquid line 12 runs behind the wall 4. The devices 1, 26 are identical except for a differing number of ports 9, 10, 36, 47.

This invention can be used to retrofit sanitary equipment to a wall with little effort.

LIST OF REFERENCES

- 1 first device
- 2 first type of sanitary equipment
- 3 second type of sanitary equipment
- 4 wall
- 5 first mounting body
- 6 second mounting body
- 7 first mount
- 8 second mount
- 9 first port
- 10 second port
- 11 first liquid line
- 12 second liquid line
- 13 first mounting device
- 14 second mounting device
- 15 first snap element
- 16 second snap element
- 17 first snap lug
- 18 second snap lug
- 19 first nut
- 20 second nut
- 21 first attachment element
- 22 second attachment element
- 23 sanitary installation
- 24 first opening
- 25 second opening
- 26 second device
- 27 first liquid source
- 28 control element
- 29 discharge
- 30 cavity
- 31 mixing cartridge
- 32 actuating element
- 33 third connection nipple
- 34 discharge opening
- 35 washbasin
- 36 third port
- 37 connection duct
- 38 valve body
- 39 spring
- 40 valve seat
- 41 first connection nipple
- 42 second connection nipple
- 43 circumferential surface
- 44 rear
- 45 second liquid source
- 46 drilled hole
- 47 fourth port

A DEVICE FOR MOUNTING SANITARY EQUIPMENT TO A WALL AND A SANITARY INSTALLATION COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE

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